I Like Online Adjunct Teaching

I've made a full-time job of it.

Dear Education Fan,

I want to share something in Letter #3 about my experience as an online adjunct professor. For ten years now, I have been teaching online courses. I’ve taught at four different Catholic institutions (Kolbe Academy Homeschool, Holy Apostles College and Seminary, Seton Hall University, and briefly at Belmont Abbey College), and I’ve taught chemistry, physics, and math courses as well as developed unique interdisciplinary courses that integrate science, theology, and philosophy. Some of these were supported by grants from the John Templeton Foundation and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). I have done all of this from home, and even though my income is cobbled together freelance-style, between all that plus speaking engagements and book royalties, I’ve managed to make a full-time job of it.

No, I don’t earn as much as a tenured professor, but it’s enough and worth it to me for the freedom I have. I can work anywhere as long as I have my computer, so I can travel with my husband, visit my kids and grandkids who live in other states, and decide how I want to structure my days around all the other things I like to do, such as walking, swimming, visiting friends, yard work, housework, and maintaining my hair and nails (I do live in Texas, after all).

I also have academic freedom in the sense that I can research and write about whatever I want, and I even have the time to pursue a second doctorate in philosophy, which requires me to travel to Ireland multiple times a year. When someone asks me what I do, I like to say, “I’m living my best life.”

Giving a webinar from Belize to a group at Dow-Corning, in the Delaware with Mom and two sons, with granddaughters at the pool, with family in Belize, with my sister, good craic in Ireland with my advisor and friends, dinner with my husband, with my oldest daughter in CT, and with colleagues at Holy Apostles.

I realize that adjunct teaching gets a bad rap. People say adjuncts are underpaid, that academic freedom suffers because adjuncts are hired on a semester-to-semester basis, that adjuncts are basically invisible to the institution, that adjuncts have no credibility because they have no offices, benefits, or commitments from the institution. It’s true that there were weeks when I probably could have made more money by working at Dairy Queen than what I earned developing and teaching a course and answering emails from students if you consider it on an hourly basis. It’s true that the relationship felt one-sided sometimes because I was asked to care about and commit to an institution that would not commit to me beyond a single semester. It’s true that I was often tempted to just do the minimum to get by, to not make waves, and to just earn what I could because no one seemed to value my contributions anyway. Those things almost made me walk away several times.

But I didn’t because I like adjunct teaching. It’s the students! This is what I don’t see talked about very much in the online dialogues. By using a learning management system, I can develop my courses once and tweak them as I go. I put a lot of effort into recording lecture videos and creating assignments, but once that is done, in ensuing semesters I can focus entirely on the students and their success. I care about the students—that’s top priority—and I’m pretty sure that is the reason I have never been lacking in courses to teach. Quite the contrary! I’ve had to turn additional courses down in the past to manage my load. And I’ve made connections with other professors and administrators who provided all the security, respect, and inclusion I need. I found my people.

Then there is the online aspect of it. This is also a double-edged sword. Yes, I would like to be in the room with students as I deliver a lecture, but I also learned that physical presence is not necessary for developing a healthy instructor-student relationship. Online teaching is a decision I made long before COVID-19 hit. I made the choice back in 2003 to stay at home to raise my children, and when I started teaching online in 2015, remotely was the only way I was willing to do it. I made it work. I’ve now learned to use four different learning management systems and feel competent in producing course content such as slides, lectures, videos, tests, discussions, and interesting assignments. I also encourage students to email, text, or call me, so they have enough freedom to figure out how to get their needs met. Not all students learn best sitting in a classroom with lots of other people anyway (I didn’t). Students need a variety of delivery methods. Some like to read. Some like to watch. Some like to discuss. Some need encouragement to tackle assignments that push them out of their comfort zone.

I just wanted to put this positive experience out there. I’ve noticed that Millennials and Gen Z young adults are pretty creative when it comes to jobs, so my non-traditional approach probably does not seem strange to them. But back in 2003 when I left my career as a Senior Research Chemist at DuPont to stay home and raise my children, that kind of ‘creativity’ was met with criticism among fellow Gen Xers. People told me I’d wasted my education and that I could never come back to industrial R&D. I didn’t care. I’d made a choice to be with my children, and I intended to stick with it. I’m happy I did because I don’t think I would still be living my best life today if I had stayed at DuPont. My husband is largely responsible for this too. He made it possible for me to have that choice to stay home, and I realize how fortunate I was to be able to do so. I also count myself fortunate to be able to work again in a capacity that fits my life.

For the next step, I just accepted a new position at Holy Apostles as the Undergraduate and Dual Enrollment Program Director. This administrative position will require me to cut back on teaching somewhat, but it will also allow me to apply what I’ve learned about online adjunct teaching to figure out how to make the undergraduate experience better for both students and professors at Holy Apostles. I’m also excited to work on their dual enrollment program to give high school, especially homeschooled, students more options. Holy Apostles is where I not only earned a M.A. in dogmatic theology in 2014, but also where I first started online teaching. I choose Holy Apostles back when I had five little kids at home because going to a campus would have been impossible. They were the only ones who offered a fully online program in theology. I’ve been with them ever since and even earned a second M.A. last year in systematic philosophy.

My online adjunct teaching journey began because I insisted on remaining home with my children. Now almost all of them are grown. The really cool part about my new role is that in this phase of life I would be more able to drive to an office every day, but instead of doing that, I am going to be flying to Connecticut frequently to be on campus. It just turns out that my oldest daughter moved to Connecticut and lives near the campus. She is mother to six of my grandchildren. So, now online adjunct teaching allows me to both remain in my own home with my youngest (now teen) kids and young granddaughter who lives with us and to visit my oldest daughter and grandchildren much more often. I never could have planned things to turn out this way!

I’m Catholic, as you know, and I’m telling you the truth—several years ago I prayed for a way to see my oldest daughter and her family more. I wasn’t expecting this new role, but I’m going to enjoy it on personal and professional levels. For me, this is how God works in my life; it’s how he taps me on the shoulder to let me know I’m going in the right direction. I pray and ask for the grace to know what to do next. On lots of day, probably most days, I’m not quite sure, but then something clicks into place, and I see that my life has purpose.

I said earlier in this letter that I wanted to put out a positive spin on adjunct online teaching. I do, and I do not do so flippantly. I spent years biting my tongue and doubting my decisions. If you are a Millennials or Gen Z-er, trust the process of prayerful discernment. I don’t mean prosperity Gospel nonsense but the benefits of getting the big things right (like family and friends) and practicing prudence for the long haul, sometimes just one step at a time. If you are of the Gen X or Boomer generation, and you are a person of faith, then you probably know what I’m talking about. We have enough steps down the path to be able look back and see how God works in our lives if we are open to it. The older I get, the more certain I am that God’s plans are better than my plans.

God bless you,